An exploration of pizza in and around Rochester, NY, one pizzeria at a time

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Airport Pizzeria, Sodus

Last year, following the Wayne County Pizza Contest, I passed by a place that had apparently escaped the notice of the event's organizers: Airport Pizzeria, on Ridge Road in Sodus. I was hoping that Airport could be included in this year's contest, but sadly, the contest was not held this year. So it was up to me to go investigate Airport Pizzeria on my own.
I ordered a medium pepperoni pizza, which is as good a benchmark as any for basic American pizza. The thin to medium crust was browned and somewhat floury underneath. The underside was pebbled with screen marks, but the bottom was reasonably crisp, unlike many screen-baked pizzas that I've had. It also had some pleasant toasty overtones and an enjoyably chewy texture. The narrow outer edge was nice and crisp.
The pizza was well balanced, with a good, but not excessive amount of cheese, sauce and pepperoni. Well melted and stretchy, the mozzarella was baked just nearly to the point of browning. The sauce was marked by a distinct flavor of herbs, though I had a hard time pinpointing exactly what it was. Oregano is common, but there was something going on here - some thyme, perhaps? - so maybe they used a blend of dried "Italian" herbs.
The thin sliced pepperoni was fine, if nothing remarkable. As pepperoni tends to do, its melted fat did add a thin layer of oil to the top of the pizza.Airport Pizzeria is not just a pizzeria, but a bar and restaurant. It's on Ridge Road - which is not the same as 104 - about two miles east of the village of Sodus (which is not the same as Sodus Point). According to the menu, Airport makes its own dough and sauce (and mac salad, baked beans, wing sauces, meat sauce and chili) daily, on site. That makes Airport a true pizzeria, not just a bar that serves pizza - a bar that serves pizza, as often as not, uses premade pizza shells and sauce straight out of a can.
Airport's pizzas come in small, medium, large and sheet sizes, and they're available by the slice as well. They offer 19 toppings, and six specialty pizzas. They also do calzones and stromboli, wings, hot and cold subs, wraps, burgers, salads, sides, and a few dinners, including fried chicken, the "Big Pappa Plate," fish fry (every day), and, on Thursdays, a NY strip steak with potato, salad and a roll, for (as of the date of this post) $12.95. If you're interested in a pizza and wing combo, ask about their specials, and you'll save a couple bucks or so.
This was good pizza. Not top rank, for me, but certainly worth checking out. If 2014 brings us a new Wayne County Pizza Contest - and I hope that it does - I would definitely want to see Airport Pizzeria among the entrants. I'm giving this a B.
Airport Pizzeria, 7740 Ridge Road, Sodus
(315) 483-0653
Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m. - 1:30 a.m., Sat. 11 a.m. - midnight, Sun. noon - 10 p.m.
Delivery available Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 10:30 p.m., Fri. 10 a.m. - midnight, Sat. 11 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.

Ratings Guide

A: great; one of the best this area has to offerB: pretty good; not top-notch, but definitely good, and better than averageC: OK; nothing special, but it’ll do; typical for our areaD: edible; if you’ve already paid for it, you might as well eat itF: downright bad; toss it and get something else